7,154 research outputs found
Frame Permutation Quantization
Frame permutation quantization (FPQ) is a new vector quantization technique
using finite frames. In FPQ, a vector is encoded using a permutation source
code to quantize its frame expansion. This means that the encoding is a partial
ordering of the frame expansion coefficients. Compared to ordinary permutation
source coding, FPQ produces a greater number of possible quantization rates and
a higher maximum rate. Various representations for the partitions induced by
FPQ are presented, and reconstruction algorithms based on linear programming,
quadratic programming, and recursive orthogonal projection are derived.
Implementations of the linear and quadratic programming algorithms for uniform
and Gaussian sources show performance improvements over entropy-constrained
scalar quantization for certain combinations of vector dimension and coding
rate. Monte Carlo evaluation of the recursive algorithm shows that mean-squared
error (MSE) decays as 1/M^4 for an M-element frame, which is consistent with
previous results on optimal decay of MSE. Reconstruction using the canonical
dual frame is also studied, and several results relate properties of the
analysis frame to whether linear reconstruction techniques provide consistent
reconstructions.Comment: 29 pages, 5 figures; detailed added to proof of Theorem 4.3 and a few
minor correction
Mutation (G275E) of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor α6 subunit is associated with high levels of resistance to spinosyns in Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae).
PublishedJournal ArticleThe tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta, now a major pest of tomato crops worldwide, is primarily controlled using chemical insecticides. Recently, high levels of resistance to the insecticide spinosad have been described in T. absoluta populations in Brazil. Selection of a resistant field-collected strain led to very high levels of resistance to spinosad and cross-resistance to spinetoram, but not to other insecticides that target the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR). In this study the mechanisms underlying resistance to spinosad were investigated using toxicological, biochemical and molecular approaches. Inhibition of metabolic enzymes using synergists and biochemical assessment of detoxification enzyme activity provided little evidence of metabolic resistance in the selected strain. Cloning and sequencing of the nAChR α6 subunit from T. absoluta, the spinosad target-site, from susceptible and spinosad-resistant strains were done to investigate the role of a target-site mechanism in resistance. A single nucleotide change was identified in exon 9 of the α6 subunit of the resistant strain, resulting in the replacement of the glycine (G) residue at position 275 observed in susceptible T. absoluta strains with a glutamic acid (E). A high-throughput DNA-based diagnostic assay was developed and used to assess the prevalence of the G275E mutation in 17 field populations collected from different geographical regions of Brazil. The resistant allele was found at low frequency, and in the heterozygous form, in seven of these populations but at much higher frequency and in the homozygous form in a population collected in the Iraquara municipality. The frequency of the mutation was significantly correlated with the mortality of these populations in discriminating dose bioassays. In summary our results provide evidence that the G275E mutation is an important mechanism of resistance to spinosyns in T. absoluta, and may be used as a marker for resistance monitoring in field populations.Thanks to CAPES for the scholarship granted to the first author and to Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico — CNPq for the financial support to the project (Universal 484240/2011-0, H.A.A.S.). The research leading to these results has received funding from the People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) of the European Union Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007-2013/ under REA grant agreement PIRSES-GA-2012 – 318246. This work was in part funded by a fellowship grant (BB/G023352/1) from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council of the UK to Dr. Chris Bass and a PhD studentship award from the BBSRC which funded Madeleine Berger
Linear Estimation of Location and Scale Parameters Using Partial Maxima
Consider an i.i.d. sample X^*_1,X^*_2,...,X^*_n from a location-scale family,
and assume that the only available observations consist of the partial maxima
(or minima)sequence, X^*_{1:1},X^*_{2:2},...,X^*_{n:n}, where
X^*_{j:j}=max{X^*_1,...,X^*_j}. This kind of truncation appears in several
circumstances, including best performances in athletics events. In the case of
partial maxima, the form of the BLUEs (best linear unbiased estimators) is
quite similar to the form of the well-known Lloyd's (1952, Least-squares
estimation of location and scale parameters using order statistics, Biometrika,
vol. 39, pp. 88-95) BLUEs, based on (the sufficient sample of) order
statistics, but, in contrast to the classical case, their consistency is no
longer obvious. The present paper is mainly concerned with the scale parameter,
showing that the variance of the partial maxima BLUE is at most of order
O(1/log n), for a wide class of distributions.Comment: This article is devoted to the memory of my six-years-old, little
daughter, Dionyssia, who leaved us on August 25, 2010, at Cephalonia isl. (26
pages, to appear in Metrika
A powerful bursting radio source towards the Galactic Centre
Transient astronomical sources are typically powered by compact objects and
usually signify highly explosive or dynamic events. While radio astronomy has
an impressive record of obtaining high time resolution observations, usually it
is achieved in quite narrow fields-of-view. Consequently, the dynamic radio sky
is poorly sampled, in contrast to the situation in the X- and gamma-ray bands
in which wide-field instruments routinely detect transient sources. Here we
report a new transient source, GCRT J1745-3009, detected in 2002 during a
moderately wide-field radio transient monitoring program of the Galactic center
(GC) region at 0.33 GHz. The characteristics of its bursts are unlike those
known for any other class of radio transient. If located in or near the GC, its
brightness temperature (~10^16 K) and the implied energy density within GCRT
J1745-3009 vastly exceeds that observed in most other classes of radio
astronomical sources, and is consistent with coherent emission processes rarely
observed. We conclude that GCRT J1745-3009 is the first member of a new class
of radio transient sources, the first of possibly many new classes to be
identified through current and upcoming radio surveys.Comment: 16 pages including 3 figures. Appears in Nature, 3 March 200
Randomized Reference Classifier with Gaussian Distribution and Soft Confusion Matrix Applied to the Improving Weak Classifiers
In this paper, an issue of building the RRC model using probability
distributions other than beta distribution is addressed. More precisely, in
this paper, we propose to build the RRR model using the truncated normal
distribution. Heuristic procedures for expected value and the variance of the
truncated-normal distribution are also proposed. The proposed approach is
tested using SCM-based model for testing the consequences of applying the
truncated normal distribution in the RRC model. The experimental evaluation is
performed using four different base classifiers and seven quality measures. The
results showed that the proposed approach is comparable to the RRC model built
using beta distribution. What is more, for some base classifiers, the
truncated-normal-based SCM algorithm turned out to be better at discovering
objects coming from minority classes.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1901.0882
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Living in the past, present, and future: measuring temporal orientation with language
OBJECTIVE: Temporal orientation refers to individual differences in the relative emphasis one places on the past, present, or future, and is related to academic, financial, and health outcomes. We propose and evaluate a method for automatically measuring temporal orientation through language expressed on social media. METHOD: Judges rated the temporal orientation of 4,302 social media messages. We trained a classifier based on these ratings, which could accurately predict the temporal orientation of new messages in a separate validation set (accuracy/mean sensitivity = .72; mean specificity = .77). We used the classifier to automatically classify 1.3 million messages written by 5,372 participants (50% female, aged 13-48). Finally, we tested whether individual differences in past, present, and future orientation differentially related to gender, age, Big Five personality, satisfaction with life, and depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Temporal orientations exhibit several expected correlations with age, gender, and Big Five personality. More future-oriented people were older, more likely to be female, more conscientious, less impulsive, less depressed, and more satisfied with life; present orientation showed the opposite pattern. CONCLUSION: Language-based assessments can complement and extend existing measures of temporal orientation, providing an alternative approach and additional insights into language and personality relationships. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Support for this article was provided by grant #63597 from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (M. E. P. Seligman, PI) and by a grant from the Templeton Religion Trust (M.E.P. Seligman, H. A. Schwartz, L. H. Ungar, co-PIs)
STRUCTURE, GATING, AND REGULATION OF THE CFTR ANION CHANNEL
The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) belongs to the ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporter superfamily but functions as an anion channel crucial for salt and water transport across epithelial cells. CFTR dysfunction, because of mutations, causes cystic fibrosis (CF). The anion-selective pore of the CFTR protein is formed by its two transmembrane domains (TMDs) and regulated by its cytosolic domains: two nucleotide binding domains (NBDs) and a regulatory (R) domain. Channel activation requires phosphorylation of the R domain by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), and pore opening and closing (gating) of phosphorylated channels is driven by ATP binding and hydrolysis at the NBDs. This review summarizes available information on structure and mechanism of the CFTR protein, with a particular focus on atomic-level insight gained from recent cryo-electron microscopic structures and on the molecular mechanisms of channel gating and its regulation. The pharmacological mechanisms of small molecules targeting CFTR's ion channel function, aimed at treating patients suffering from CF and other diseases, are briefly discussed
Tailoring the atomic structure of graphene nanoribbons by STM lithography
The practical realization of nano-scale electronics faces two major
challenges: the precise engineering of the building blocks and their assembly
into functional circuits. In spite of the exceptional electronic properties of
carbon nanotubes only basic demonstration-devices have been realized by
time-consuming processes. This is mainly due to the lack of selective growth
and reliable assembly processes for nanotubes. However, graphene offers an
attractive alternative. Here we report the patterning of graphene nanoribbons
(GNRs) and bent junctions with nanometer precision, well-defined widths and
predetermined crystallographic orientations allowing us to fully engineer their
electronic structure using scanning tunneling microscope (STM) lithography. The
atomic structure and electronic properties of the ribbons have been
investigated by STM and tunneling spectroscopy measurements. Opening of
confinement gaps up to 0.5 eV, allowing room temperature operation of GNR-based
devices, is reported. This method avoids the difficulties of assembling
nano-scale components and allows the realization of complete integrated
circuits, operating as room temperature ballistic electronic devices.Comment: 8 pages text, 5 figures, Nature Nanotechnology, in pres
Structures and waves in a nonlinear heat-conducting medium
The paper is an overview of the main contributions of a Bulgarian team of
researchers to the problem of finding the possible structures and waves in the
open nonlinear heat conducting medium, described by a reaction-diffusion
equation. Being posed and actively worked out by the Russian school of A. A.
Samarskii and S.P. Kurdyumov since the seventies of the last century, this
problem still contains open and challenging questions.Comment: 23 pages, 13 figures, the final publication will appear in Springer
Proceedings in Mathematics and Statistics, Numerical Methods for PDEs:
Theory, Algorithms and their Application
PPAR? Downregulation by TGF in Fibroblast and Impaired Expression and Function in Systemic Sclerosis: A Novel Mechanism for Progressive Fibrogenesis
The nuclear orphan receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-γ) is expressed in multiple cell types in addition to adipocytes. Upon its activation by natural ligands such as fatty acids and eicosanoids, or by synthetic agonists such as rosiglitazone, PPAR-γ regulates adipogenesis, glucose uptake and inflammatory responses. Recent studies establish a novel role for PPAR-γ signaling as an endogenous mechanism for regulating transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß)- dependent fibrogenesis. Here, we sought to characterize PPAR-γ function in the prototypic fibrosing disorder systemic sclerosis (SSc), and delineate the factors governing PPAR-γ expression. We report that PPAR-γ levels were markedly diminished in skin and lung biopsies from patients with SSc, and in fibroblasts explanted from the lesional skin. In normal fibroblasts, treatment with TGF-ß resulted in a time- and dose-dependent down-regulation of PPAR-γ expression. Inhibition occurred at the transcriptional level and was mediated via canonical Smad signal transduction. Genome-wide expression profiling of SSc skin biopsies revealed a marked attenuation of PPAR-γ levels and transcriptional activity in a subset of patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc, which was correlated with the presence of a ''TGF-ß responsive gene signature'' in these biopsies. Together, these results demonstrate that the expression and function of PPAR-γ are impaired in SSc, and reveal the existence of a reciprocal inhibitory cross-talk between TGF-ß activation and PPAR-γ signaling in the context of fibrogenesis. In light of the potent anti-fibrotic effects attributed to PPAR-γ, these observations lead us to propose that excessive TGF-ß activity in SSc accounts for impaired PPAR-γ function, which in turn contributes to unchecked fibroblast activation and progressive fibrosis. © 2010 Wei et al
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